Wake Up, Look Up

[Music]

hello everyone thanks for listening to

wake up lookup a podcast where we

connect events happening in real time to

the Gospel of Jesus Christ I'm Zach wck

and in today's episode we're asking the

question why don't we go out this is

based on an article I read but also an

experience I've been having about the

decline

in movie theaters and I mean this in two

ways uh the first is that more and more

movie theaters around the country are

closing in fact uh now in the last year

12% of movie screens are gone so 12% of

the total screens that we had in the

United States dedicated to showing

movies boom gone never to be replaced

movie theaters are sitting vacant you

can see that when you drive through a

lot of communities uh but also I'm

noticing more more when I do go to the

movie theater there are less and less

people there which breaks my heart cuz I

I actually love going the movies that's

one of my favorite things to do but the

reason I'm talking about it here is not

because I want you necessarily to go

back to the movies it's because there's

something happening here that is really

really important these uh vacant

buildings that are being left behind are

saying something about the way our

culture is Shifting and and what I mean

by that is uh first of all they're

pointing to the fact that increasingly

we are staying home as a culture uh now

you can get almost any movie you want at

home across a variety of streaming

services and I know the arguments the

snacks are cheaper the line to the

bathroom is shorter it's more

comfortable I I get all that we're

becoming isolated and we have our

reasons for doing it uh but one of the

most important reasons and maybe the

most telling reason is that any one can

tell you who's been to a movie in the

last year at a theater our theater

etiquette is atrocious when you go to a

movie now people are talking during it

they're answering their phone during it

they're snoring during it they're eating

obnoxiously during it can you tell um

frustrated by this listen I don't think

those are just declining social

etiquette I think they're indicative of

this because we spend less more more and

more time on our own we are less

concerned about other people it used to

be that when you went to a movie you

actually were cognizant of the fact that

it was a communal experience you were

sharing the space with other people

there they had a right or a privilege to

an enjoyable experience and and I was

contributing to that when we laugh

together we were together but when we

weren't supposed to be laughing I'm

quiet because I actually care about you

but the more isolated we get the more

people who do show up to the theater

don't seem to care at all about about

your experience I think this is a

problem and more than a movie problem or

a cultural problem it's a spiritual

problem for a lot of reasons first the

Bible makes clear we were made for

connection not isolation we we were made

to be in company together this is why by

the way God said in Genesis 2 it's not

good for man to be alone God has given

it to human beings to to to fill the

Earth to have dominion to create to

shape and we do those things best in

community when we step out of community

when we live in isolation we are always

becoming less human never more human

we're becoming something other than God

intended us to be it's not that there's

anything wrong with watching a movie at

home but the more we do more things at

home the more we get comfortable with

being less than God intended and the

more selfish we become if everything

really is about my comfort about what's

easiest for me then when I do leave the

house I take that mindset with me of

course the gospel is the complete

opposite of that Philippians 2 Paul

tells us to have this mind which also

was in Jesus to think of others as more

important than ourselves the whole

essence of the Gospel is that Jesus laid

down his life for us and showed us that

that's the way we ought to love our

neighbors when I talk through a movie

it's not just that I'm not used to being

around people is that I'm telling you I

don't care about you and listen movie

theaters come and go businesses come and

go culture changes but if we don't care

about each other if we aren't concerned

about other people's enjoyment of things

then we're degrading as a society this

is an opportunity again for the gospel

to let Christians shine because of all

people we should be willingly

strategically leaving our houses and

when we do we should be asking ourselves

how can I increase the enjoyment and

experience of those around me because I

was made for them this is the love that

Jesus has called me to show so go out of

your house and when you do love people

around you well I hope I see you at the

movies but wherever you go make sure you

go with a neighbor love neighbor

centered kind of way hey thanks so much

for watching this episode of wake up

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